Document Type
Policy Advocacy Brief
Publication Date
3-2026
Issue Statement/Executive Summary
Much of Minnesota has a shortage of mental health providers due to specific problems around graduating workers, recruiting them and keeping them once they are hired. Lower salaries, older population bases, and inconsistent healthcare coverage all contribute to the shortage of providers in rural areas. Long distances between mental health facilities and stigma in mental health care exacerbate the shortage. More than 1.2 million Minnesotans live in rural communities and of those at least 25% do not have access to reliable broadband internet. Rural areas face significant behavioral health workforce shortages, as seen in Figure 1. Minnesota needs to invest in expanding educational opportunities to increase the rural mental health workforce AND invest in access to broadband services to facilitate an increase in utilization of telehealth services in areas where providers aren’t.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, K., DeMars, M., Graves-Petron, T., & Munoz, C. (2026). No community left behind: Investing in mental health service access in rural Minnesota. MSW Policy Advocacy Briefs, Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/msw-student-policy-advocacy-briefs/71
